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 he
minister’s little daughter was
sent to bed with a stomach ache and missed her usual story time
with her daddy. A few minutes later she appeared at the top
of the stairs and called to her mother, “Mama, let me talk
with Daddy.” “No dear, not tonight. Get back to bed.”
“Please, Mama.” “I said no and that is final.”
“Mother, I am a very sick woman and I must see my pastor
at once!” What a surprising comment from a little child.
Her mother never expected it. So is life when I become sick.
There are so many things we do not expect. I often joke that
we need to go to our calendars and plan our illnesses, tragedies,
and disappointments. The weather is not predictable, nor is
my memory. The radio, the plumbing or the camera never warn
you in advance that they are going to stop working. It is always
a surprise when they stop, just like the little girl’s
comment. There are surprises in the Bible too! When John the
Baptist and Jesus Christ came preaching, “Repent for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand” some Jews were surprised.
Daniel’s vision has a surprise for us too!
The
Vision.
So far in our study of the book of Daniel, we have discovered
that the prophet was given a vision about the future. Apparently,
he had asked for an explanation and so
God sent the angel Gabriel to help him understand the meaning of the
vision.
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. . while I was still speaking in prayer . . . Gabriel
. . . came to me . . . and said, “O Daniel, I have
now come forth to give you insight with understanding
. . . of the vision. (NASB) Dan. 9:21-23 |
It should not be surprising that Daniel did not know how to
interpret this vision. God had always helped Daniel. Do you
know someone who claims to be able to interpret dreams? If so,
it is important to remember that Daniel never claimed to be
able to do that. He always went away, asked God for help, returned,
gave God glory, and then gave the interpretation. Once again
God will give him the understanding he is seeking.
Sometimes
we forget that these Old Testament saints did NOT have supernatural
powers. We forget they were God-honoring and their unusual abilities
came from God and not from themselves.
Daniel’s vision
was about a period of time called the “seventy weeks.”
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